


Road to the End, Volume 1

by digitaleva



Series: Road to the End [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-05-21 16:02:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6057547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/digitaleva/pseuds/digitaleva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after the events of Volume 3. Ruby and the rest of Team JNPR travel across Remnant in an attempt to reunite their friends before a final showdown with Cinder.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginning of a Journey

"Jaune..."

Ruby reached out her hand towards her friend, the blonde being slumped on the ground.

"Jaune. I'm sorry..."

The blonde male shook his head and brought his hand up to his head, wiping away the tears from his blue eyes. He then looked up at Ruby, his expression still full of pain and loss.

"Ruby... It... It's not your fault. It's mine."

"Jaune..."

"No, Ruby. I... I wasn't strong enough. I should have stopped her! Don't you get that!?"

"Jaune," Ren interjected, stepping between the two teens, "Ruby is only here to help. She did what she could, and so did you. Pyrrha... she..."

"Ren, I know. I just..."

The blonde was silenced when Ruby, who had managed to zip around Ren, pulled him into a hug.

"We all miss her."

"That's just it, Ruby. She... And I... Oh god I was so stupid!!!"

"Come on, Jaune. Let's get you out of here."

The trio then headed off to the safe zone, where airships were waiting to take the survivors to where they needed to go.

~Three months later~

"You ready to go?"

"Yeah. You guys know that you don't have to come with me, right?"

"Ruby, we agreed to come along. We are in this until the end."

The younger girl nodded at Ren.

"So our first lead is in Mistral, right?"

The quartet headed off, away from Ruby's home in Patch, where Yang lay in her bed, staring out of the window of her bedroom, her eyes devoid of the fiery passion that once dwelt there. She could still feel it. Even though her arm was severed, and she could see that it was gone, she could still feel the limb. As she stared, a lone black bird took off from the barren tree nearby.

On a cliff overlooking the single road away from the house, Qrow stood, looking over his younger niece and her friends. In his hands, he held Ozpin's signature cane. After one last look, he jumped, a large black crow replacing him in the air.

~Four months later~

"Are we there yet?"

"Nora, please don't ask that again," Ren politely protested.

This wasn't the first time that the orange haired girl had asked, and it probably wasn't going to be the last. Even though she was a towering mountain of power in combat, the inaction scared her to no end.

"Actually, according to this map, we should be in Mistral already."

Jaune was studying a large, creased piece of paper, attempting to track their route with one hand as the slight breeze attempted to abscond with their only way of finding their direction.

"Lost?"

The group jumped at the sudden utterance.

"GYAH! UNCLE QROW! WHERE DID YOU COME FROM!?"

"Chill, kiddo. We need to go the same way. I'm just tagging along."

He then reached into his pocket and pulled out his flask, which he took a sip from. As he lowered it, he held it out.

"Any other takers?"

"Uncle Qrow? I'm 15..."

Jaune stepped forward.

"Sure."

"You're what? 17?"

"Look. I have seen my whole world, which I thought I had just sorta gotten under control, get ripped away from me. The first woman to believe in me, and even love me, no offense to my mother, was killed."

"Fair point. Just a warning: This is some strong stuff."

The blonde nodded and accepted the vessel, raising the neck to his lips. He tipped it back, allowing the amber liquid to flow into his mouth and down his throat, the whiskey leaving a trail of fire in its wake. He immediately returned it to being upright, and, with a cough, stared at the container in disbelief.

"What... What is in there!?"

"Whiskey. From Vacuo."

"Jaune, you were warned."

"Listen to your friend with the pink stripe, kid. And don't follow in my example. This stuff only serves to dull the pain for a bit. Then it comes back. There is no helping it."

Qrow then walked over to the blonde and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Look. I can tell you give a damn. Keep that, and you can help more people than you will hurt."

He then looked past them, in the direction of a series of tufts of smoke.

"There. That is where we need to go."


	2. One Night

Upon their arrival in the town, something seemed familiar. Something that they couldn't put their finger on. Even after walking through the whole of the village, they couldn't place what was wrong with their surroundings.

"Something seem off to you, kiddo?"

Ruby looked up at her uncle as he said this, her face quizzical.

"Something. But I'm not sure what. Maybe if we..."

She couldn't finish the statement before she was thrown to the ground by Qrow, the older man deflecting a sword blade with ease. This action caused Jaune to draw his weapon.

"Put it away, kid. Not worth hurting yourself over."

The alcohol fueled huntsman then held his blade out in front of him.

"And you owe us an explanation."

"I... I had no idea you were going to be here."

"Yeah? And who are you? Or is it a damn custom around here to just attack people who arrived?"

His opponent lowered her weapon, the blue blade reflecting the lowering light.

"You don't remember me, do you?"

"If you were somebody I went to school with, it's been a long time."

"Leave it to Qrow, the same man who was at Beacon when it fell, to forget about the other former students who were there to help."

She put her weapon away on her back, and flipped her hair out of her face, a few clumps catching on her ears. As the dust settled, it was clear that she was a Faunus with blue hair that had yellow streaks dyed into it. Her almost entirely blue outfit was offset by her boots, which were a pale beige in color, and the yellow thigh skirt hanging from her mid-torso wrap.

"Wait... weren't you with Professor Volcanus?"

The Faunus looked over at Nora, her face both worried and relieved.

"Ye... yes... And you are?"

"Oh, come on! You know me."

"..."

"Nora," Ren interjected, "she may have never heard our names."

"Oh... Well.... I'm Nora, that's Ren... We're not together-together, and... Jaune!"

Her outburst was met with a collective facepalm from the other five people present.

Qrow cleared his throat.

"Not to mention that, if you attended Beacon, I would recognize you. Where did you graduate from anyway?"

"Atlas. And no. I'm not military."

"Well, whoop-de-doo."

The sarcasm was heavy in Qrow's voice.

"Ooo. You graduated from Atlas Academy and weren't brainwashed. Congrats. Seriously. Who are you?"

The female Faunus was taken aback by his harsh tone.

"No need to be rude. Geeze."

"That's my uncle for you. He's a little rough, but he does care."

"Thanks," the Faunus said, a slight blush from embarrassment on her cheeks. "I'm Lapis."

Qrow's face softened a little.

"Oh. You. I heard about your team's little... accident."

"Please. Don't bring that up."

"Whatever," the boozehound waved it off and headed towards a small bar.

"So... how can I help you?"

Ruby spoke up.

"We got a tip about our target being here."

"Your.... target?"

"Yeah," Jaune said, clenching and unclenching his fists. "Cinder Fall."

"It didn't come from me. I would know if she was here. So many survivors from Beacon and Vale have come here, that she would stick out like a sore thumb."

"If you didn't tell us, then..."

"Who did?" Ren completed Nora's statement.

"Are you sure you two aren't..."

"Yup!"

Lapis then turned and motioned for them to follow her through the center of town until they reached a large building that looked like the exterior hadn't been updated since the classical period. Heading inside, she shot the man behind the counter a look, and he produced a set of room keys.

"You can rest here tonight. That other key is for your uncle. He can't just sleep in the bar. It gets cold at night. I'll be seeing you around."

She then pulled Ruby off to the side.

"Look... About Dante..."

"What about the professor?"

"I don't know where he went to. We... we all had a falling out again. Last time, it was after we graduated. He and Caos didn't agree on what they should do. This time... I don't know if he'll come back if we ask him to."

"So...?"

"If you see him, let him know I'm fine. Let him know Caos is fine. We just... we want to hear from him every now and again."

"Sure thing."

Lapis smiled a little at Ruby's optimism. She could remember when she was that optimistic about things. That was before that day. Before everything in her world had been stripped away. But she could also relate to the blonde boy. She knew that he was putting on a strong front for the sake of his friends. And she could tell why. It wasn't exactly a secret that she had been romantically involved with her partner when they were at the academy. And she could tell that he had just lost somebody who was closer than a team mate.

"Oh. And if you need me, don't hesitate to call, okay?"

"Yup!"

"Thanks, Ruby. Now, get up to your room and get some rest. It's getting late."

The small group of friends went up to their room and Nora immediately flopped on the bed, pulling Ren down with her. Within moments, she was asleep, the young man's arm held in a death grip, which didn't seem to affect him in any way. He merely pulled her in closer and scooted them back further, holding on to her throughout the night.

"If they would just admit it, they might be happy."

"Jaune..."

"I.. I'm gonna lie down for a bit Ruby."

"Alright. Get some rest."

The blonde laid down on the mattress, pulled one of the blankets over him, and closed his eyes. He fell into a restless sleep. The same sleep that he had been having since that day.

~~~  
He stood in Beacon's courtyard. The wind blowing his blonde hair slightly. He gasped slightly as a pair of arms wrapped around his waist, their presence familiar, comforting, and depressing simultaneously.

"P-Pyrrha!"

"Jaune? You know that you don't have to do this."

"Pyrrha... I.. I let you die..."

"Jaune, you didn't. Why can't you just accept that?"

"No! Pyrrha! I.. I wasn't strong enough! I should have held on to you! Stopped you back then! But I..."

Tears began forming in his eyes.

"But I wasn't strong enough. I didn't stop you... And now you..."

"Jaune, I made that decision, not you."

"Yeah, but..."

"Jaune, you need to let me go."

"I... I can't..." He was near his breaking point.

Her body tensed, causing him to whip around. Jutting from her back were three arrows. He looked in the direction they had come from to see Cinder, a smirk on her face, turning and walking away. As he looked down, the red-head's form faded away into nothing.

~~~

The blonde shot up from his sleep, his body soaked with sweat. Again. The same dream again. He looked over at Ren and Nora, who were sound asleep. Looking the other direction, he could see Ruby, the dark-haired girl was curled up in a ball, a few tears in her eyes. If her sleep was as haunted as his, he knew she wouldn't tell him.

That wasn't how she was. She would power through it and make it so that nobody else would have to worry about her. Even her own team. He had been the only one to be told that she occasionally cried in her sleep because she missed her mother, Summer, who had died when she was still a small child. He was going to write it off as one of those dreams until he heard her mutter one thing.

"Yang... I'm so sorry..."

It was then that he knew what her nightmare was about. Yang Xiao Long. The resident drool object of most of the boys on campus when Beacon was still standing. She had lost her arm during the fall of Beacon; to a member of the White Fang. All because she had tried to protect Blake.

As he stood to leave, the shift in pressure woke his friend up.

"Jaune...?"

Ruby rubbed her eyes, being still partly asleep.

"It... It's fine, Ruby," the blonde lied. "I'm just going to take a walk."

"A walk sounds nice. Mind if I come along?"

Shrugging his shoulders, the blonde silently accepted the company. He had only planned on going out behind the building and punching a tree, but he guessed a conversation about what had transpired might help a little better.

Once they left the room, they began speaking quietly, the narrow balcony of their suite offering very little privacy.

"So... How is Yang doing?"

His opening inquiry hit a nail on the head. The younger girl looked at her feet as she slumped to the ground.

"She's tough, like Uncle Qrow says, but she... I... We're sisters. Family. We're supposed to look out for each other. And I wasn't there for her."

"Ruby," Jaune said, putting a hand on her shoulder as he sat down. "There wasn't anything you could do. Even Weiss said it. Yang ran off without waiting for anybody to back her up. Besides, we can't be everywhere, right?"

"Still I..."

She leaned towards her friend, and fell over, her head being saved from trauma by the blonde's lap.

"She trusted me, Jaune."

"I know, Ruby. Pyrrha trusted me, too. And I..."

"We both let people we care about down."

"Yeah."

"You holding out okay?" The shorter human inquired honestly.

"I guess. I still..."

"I know. I heard you before I went to sleep."

"She just... and I just..."

"Jaune, you may be dense, but you had to have noticed something."

"That's just it, Ruby. I didn't know until it was too late. I was so damn obsessed with Weiss..."

"Jaune, trust me when I say that wouldn't have worked out."

"Sure, Ruby. I know that now."

"Not exactly," the shorter girl blushed as she remembered back to the night of the school dance.

The blonde failed to notice the change in Ruby's face and just looked up at the sky.

"I miss her."

"I know Jaune."

"She..."

"Jaune, I should tell you now: She didn't just care for you. She loved you. She was so caught up in wanting you that she went out of her way to try and show it."

"I know that, Ruby. Well... now I do. And I feel... I just... I was so damn stupid!"

Ruby shivered slightly, which brought them out of their own little bubbles.

"Wanna go back in? It's kinda cold out here."

"Good idea, Jaune."

The two returned to the room, and climbed back into the bed, where they fell into a more peaceful sleep, albeit without dreaming.


	3. Informant

The next few days were spent searching around town for Ruby and Jaune's mysterious informant. However, each person they spoke to was just about as much help as Lapis had been. Even she was trying to dig up what she could. However, one good thing had come from the whole fiasco: They had learned the location of a few of their other friends.

Team CFVY and Team SSSN were both in Mistral, helping coordinate refugee housing there. That was discovered on accident when they ran into Coco on the outskirts. Of course, this meant that they now knew where people were, in the event of needing to hide.

It was nearing the end of the 6th day when they encountered somebody who was able to tell them the same information, and they pointed out a woman in a brown, tattered travelling cloak sitting in the back of a bar. Jaune and Ruby instructed Ren and Nora to wait outside while they went over to talk to the mystery person.

"You told us?"

"Ruby Rose. It's been a while."

"How do you know my name?"

"You know me, Ruby. But I don't think that you'd want to see my face right now."

"If she knows you, why hide?"

"Because of what I've done. I know what I did was wrong, and I'm sorry for that."

"How could you have done anything to me?"

The woman reached up and removed the hood from her head, revealing pale green hair and tan skin. Almost immediately, Ruby lost her cool and jumped across the table.

"YOU! HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME! AFTER EVERYTHING YOU DID! I SHOULD... hurk"

She was stopped as Jaune grabbed on to the middle of Ruby's cape, stopping his friend in mid-air.

"Ruby, I... I'm sorry. For everything. I... I'll just go."

As she stood to leave, something caught the younger female's attention.

"How'd you get that scar?"

Emerald stopped in her tracks.

"Cinder. She found out that I was helping evacuate people in Vale. It didn't sit right with her. She did that. And this."

She then lifted her right hand, revealing a pair of mechanical fingers that were grafted onto stumps where Emerald's ring finger and pinky had once been.

"Wait. So you changed your mind about hurting people?"

"Yeah. She never said that wanton murder was part of the plan. She... she betrayed us all. Is... Is your sister....?"

"Yang is kinda mopey, but she'll get over it."

"So she was just using you for your power. Can't really say I'm shocked. You could have tried to take me out when I saved Amber. But you chose to cover their escape."

"You!"

"Shhh shhh shh," Qrow was drunk again. "You realized that you made a mistake. And you wanna do something about it. Takes some serious nerve to betray somebody who has basically made it so you don't have to steal again. I just have one question."

"And that is?" the mint-haired girl asked, shrinking back from the smell of hard liquor.

"Why Ruby?"

"I... I felt that I owed her more than anybody else."

"Guilt. Gotcha. Alright. See you guys later. We gotta move. I may have found your missing professor."

Qrow then stumbled off to the bar again, where he ordered a few more drinks.

"That's your uncle?"

"Yup. He's a little strange, but I think that he gets his point across."

"Strongly. Has he tried drinking anything else?"

"Yeah... It was scary."

"Okay, I won't inquire further. Sorry again, for what happened to your sister."

"Emerald, why only you? Where is Mercury?"

"Who do you think held me down while she removed my fingers?"

"Oh. Ouch."

Ruby had been witness to how merciless the son of Marcus Black could be, but she hadn't expected that.

"Coming with us?"

"Can't. You want more information? I'll leave it in Atlas. I can send mail. I have a few people who are friends there."

Ruby nodded, just grateful that the Illusion Thief wasn't going to try to kill her. Then she and Jaune got up and left the bar. They would spend the rest of the day re-supplying before leaving for Atlas in the morning.


	4. Dante

Was their bond that fragile? Or had it been that moment, when they were still in school? That one instant when their whole world came crashing down. In that instant, four had become three. And one of the three was more broken than the rest.

The human looked at his scroll, the device flashing a warning that the inbox was almost full. He hadn't bothered to look at any of the messages. He knew who they were from. They were from them. The very people he didn't want to talk to.

After the fall of Beacon, they had argued. His former partner had begged him to come back. Pleaded with him to stay and help. And he ran. After all these years, he still hated that about himself. Many would bury themselves in work. He couldn't do that. His job was gone with the destruction of the academy. Others would drown the pain with alcohol. He couldn't bring himself to do that either. So he buried the pain and ran.

He was just like one of his former students. Her name escaped him at the moment, but he knew he would have to face the hellish nightmare that was Vale again at some point. But not right now.

He could hear the crowd cheering. He knew it was time for the show. Reaching out, he picked up his sword, the Red and Brass tones of the blades shimmering in the fluorescent lighting. Every time, he swore it would be his last fight. But the money was good, so he continued to go along with it. Besides, no one judged him here. No one would inquire as to his past.

Stepping out into the harsher lights of the arena, he squinted momentarily. He could see his opponent: A Bat Faunus who stood around 9'2". On his arms were a pair of blades, which he guessed would flip out to act as stabbing instruments, as well as provide shielding against attacks.

Pushing his one, loose bit of hair back onto his head, the dark brown protrusion staying where it was, Dante raised his weapon, eliciting a cheer from the spectators. He knew why they were here. After all, underground fights between Huntsmen and Huntresses were becoming a popular sport in the aftermath of what was becoming known as the Beacon Incident.

The two fighters stepped towards each other and shook hands before backing off to their respective corners, awaiting the signal to start their fight.

The buzzer sounded, and they were in the middle of it, trading blows that would have once only been reserved for Grimm.

The matches were far from uncivilized, as they had taken the rules of the Vytal Festival Tournament in that their Aura levels were monitored, but there were still deaths. It was unavoidable that the occasional competitor would go too far. Still, it was a risk that they all knew. And here was Dante, with a nearly perfect record in the ring: 97 matches, with 89 ending in Victory, 5 ending in a draw, and 1 loss. The remaining two were ones where he had been the odd-man-out, so he couldn't compete.

Across the town, Ruby was holding on to Crocea Mors for a bit while Jaune regained control of his stomach. The crossing had been rougher than they had planned, as they had chosen to travel from Mistral via boat to save time. Of course, this meant slightly rough travel, despite it being quicker. Nora had voted for traveling via Airship, but Qrow shot it down, citing that their route would have taken them across Vale's airspace, which Ironwood has listed as a designated "no fly zone" as soon as they had finished the evacuation.

So, here they were. Four people who were completely fine, and a vomiting blonde.

"Uncle Qrow, are you sure he's here?"

"He should be. But there is also something you and I need to do."

The older Huntsman then turned to Ren.

"Take Upchuck Junior with you guys. Ruby and I will meet you at the theater around 5."

The martial artist nodded and accepted Jaune's weapon from Ruby, as the two scythe wielders headed off into town.

Back in the arena, a louder buzzer sounded as another fighter hit the floor, the impact sending their Aura into the red zone.

~"And that's the match! The winner is... Dante!"~

As the crowd cheered, the former teacher put his weapon away at his waist, the blade sitting idly as the sweat poured off of him. He hadn't expected the fight to drag out like it had. He was more tired from this than he normally would be, but it was paying the bills. He left the highly illuminated arena and headed to the lockers, where he pushed his finger back into place, the appendage having been slightly disjointed during his skirmish. He would heal.

The brunette opened his locker, collected his duffle bag, which contained an extra set of clothes, and marched over to the payment window.

"That was a damn fine match tonight, son."

"He was good, I'll give you that. Next set is in two weeks, right?"

"You betcha! Between you and me, I don't think you should return. Something isn't right about this any more. Seen too many people in white masks showing up."

"The White Fang is here?"

"Don't look at me," the bookie said, waving his hands. "Just know that, if it is, they are going to recognize anybody who was in Vale last year."

"Thanks for the warning. Hey. This is less than last time."

"Again, not my fault. That match wasn't close enough for them. You took too few hits. I told you: If you wanna make the big bucks, you need to make it more exciting."

"Yeah. And that is how I got all these." The former teacher leaned into the light a little more, revealing scars on his face, the longest of which ran almost completely up his face diagonally.

"How was I to know that guy would have a second weapon!"

"Fair enough. Appreciate it. See you then!"

"Whatever. Have fun at that concert tonight!"

Dante waved and, opening the door, stepped out into the cool evening air. He hated being back in Atlas, but it was better than trying to follow military commands in Vale. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his ticket. He wasn't going to miss this one. Not for the world.

The opening number out of the way, and the event was going exactly as planned. Still, he couldn't shake the fact that he was essentially looking at a reminder of the past. But he enjoyed her singing.

"We have to talk to her!"

"Chill out, kiddo. You have 1/2 of the things needed."

"Yeah... I know. I need to find somebody who used to attend the academy."

Dante glanced over at the two having the conversation and nearly fainted. After the initial shock, he cleared his throat.

"I can help with that."

~~~

"This is so cool! I've never been to one of her concerts! I've only ever heard her sing on the radio. Or in the shower... But that was through closed doors and I didn't want to see her in there like that... Honest."

"Kiddo, it's fine. I'm not about to tell your dad about your little secret. Truth be told, he knows of mine."

"And that is?"

"Too mature for your ears. Maybe I'll tell you all the dirty details later though."

"UNCLE QROW! GROSS!"

The older scythe-master chuckled a little as they approached the theater. When he had found out about Weiss holding a concert, he had made sure to snag tickets, not wanting Ruby to miss out, but also understanding that she was going to try to re-unite her team, in an effort to cheer up her older sister.

They approached the front, Qrow surrendered the tickets, and they entered the venue. Back wall, standing room only wasn't his first choice, but he knew it would allow them to reach the heiress faster in the event of an emergency. So he wasn't about to complain.

As the event was nearing the end, he handed his niece a piece of paper.

"Uncle Qrow?"

"Back stage pass, kiddo. Surprise."

As she turned the document over in her hands, one line of text changed her mood.

"It says I need to be with somebody who used to attend the academy."

"Yeah. I was working on that. Which was why I was hunting for your former instructor. He went here."

Ruby had seen somebody who vaguely looked like her old teacher, but she wasn't sure about it.

"We have to talk to her!"

"Chill out, kiddo. You have 1/2 of the things needed."

"Yeah... I know. I need to find somebody who used to attend the academy."

It was then that the man she had seen earlier approached her.

"I can help with that."

"Do... I... know you?"

"It's been a while, Ruby."

He lifted his face, and his features became clear to her.

"Professor!"

"Shh... It's been a while, yes, but if you could not shout that out, I would really appreciate it."

"So you went to school here?"

"You bet! We graduated at the top of our class!"

Dante took pride in his former team's accomplishment, which was been no small feat, as they had been short-handed for a year.

"Come on. Let's get you in."

"You take care of her, got it?"

"You have my word, Qrow."


	5. Night Out I

"You never mentioned that you used to go here."

"Yeah," Dante hung his head slightly at the statement. "I tend not to discuss my past easily."

Ruby looked up at him. "That bad, eh?"

"You could say that. Now, just let me handle this."

As they approached the checkpoint, Ruby handed the piece of paper over to her former teacher, who, in turn, handed it over to the guards.

"And you are an alumnus of Atlas Academy?"

"Student ID number 871305DV. Dante Volcanus. Team Assignment: COLD. Partner: Caos Dynasty."

The guards entered all of the information given into the terminal next to them. When it all returned a match, they returned their attention to the pair before them.

"Ruby Rose. Affiliation: None. Status: Survivor of Vale Invasion. Says here you entered Atlas with Qrow Branwen and three others. Where are they."

"Uncle Qrow is headed back to our lodgings, assuming they were able to get a room."

"Very well. You can both pass. Start anything, and we will not hesitate to shoot you."

The pair passed through the checkpoint and into the back hallway, where Dante leaned up against the wall across from the door their target would exit through.

"So," Ruby's curiosity was beginning to get the better of her. "Why are you..."

"In Atlas? Long story, but I'll make it short."

Dante sighed as he began to relay the information, the memories haunting him slightly.

"Underground... You mean illegal?"

"Yeah. Sorry, Ruby. Not everything is cut and dry like in books. I'm no better than the scum that destroyed Vale."

"Professor..."

"Hey. She's coming out."

Sure enough, as the dark haired girl looked over, the door opened, and Weiss exited.

"Alright. Let's get this over. Who is in line... first...."

The heiress' voice trailed off as she saw all of two people there.

"Ruby!"

"Heheheh.... Hey Weiss."

"What are you doing in Atlas?"

"Well... Trying to see how everybody is and kinda..."

Dante rolled his eyes at the flustered actions of the younger girl. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Here was the person who was once the leader of Team RWBY, who was now looking to form an army to take back Vale, and she was getting hot under the collar over seeing her former partner again. If he didn't know better, he could swear that they...

"Get down!"

Immediately after he said that, he jumped forward, catching a thrown knife in his forearm.

"Professor!"

"Ruby... what did you just...?"

"Ms. Schnee, It would best serve you to get behind me."

"But... Don't worry."

Dante punched in a code on his scroll, and a pneumatic tube brought what he had keyed in to him. As he opened the box, his identity became known to Weiss.

"What are you doing here!?"

"Right now, saving your life. Ruby, your weapon is in here as well."

He tossed the folded up Crescent Rose to the younger girl, who caught it with a realization.

"This hallway is too small to use my weapon!"

"Then take a position back there, and cover me."

"No offense, Professor, but your one sword won't be much use here."

"That, my former student, is where I have a surprise."

Dante adjusted the weapon in his hand, and it suddenly became visible. There, on top, was a split in the blade. The upper segment slid forward, and he reached across, removing Pollux from its nested place atop Castor.

Luckily, for them, the would-be assassins were as stupid as they were noisy, So they were defeated easily, but not before they managed to deplete Dante's Aura. The second was stopped after driving his blade into the Huntsman's leg, missing the femoral artery by a fraction of an inch.

"You... you okay?"

"I'm fine. But.. professor..."

"I... I'll be.... I'll... be..."

Dante then collapsed on the ground, causing the knife to be dislodged, and opening up a still healing wound in his side. His gray tee-shirt was rapidly turning burgundy.

"Ruby, if anybody else is here with you, have them meet us out back. We can't stay in town."

The dark-haired girl nodded and sent off a message to Jaune and Qrow. Giving Weiss her cloak, she helped the Heiress lift their former professor off the ground and carried his limp form out of the building.


	6. Night out II

"We need to stop his bleeding!"  
"Get him in here!"

The shouts of the medical technicians all ran together after a while. There was no way around it, as they were treating a patient who had only been field dressed. Out in the main hall, the group who had brought him in was waiting nervously.

~Earlier, at the concert venue~

Weiss called for her driver, telling him to place a lining of some sort on the back seat. When he had asked why, she didn't say, other than to tell him that she would take responsibility for explaining it later. Hanging up, she turned to Ruby.

"Why come back now?"

"Well..."

"Whatever. We don't have time."

Ren, Nora, Jaune, and Qrow arrived shortly before the car, and the martial artist immediately went to work, applying a field dressing as best he could, only asking that Weiss hand over her bolero to him to use as a pressure bandage, apologizing for ruining the garment as he did so.

Ruby watched as her partner removed the jacket, which she had never seen her without in her all white ensemble. In the low light, Weiss' skin almost glowed. Her shoulders revealing that she was far more slender in build than the younger girl had previously thought. She had to shake her head to clear the thoughts away.

Their former professor was nearly bleeding out, and here her mind was wandering, imagining things that she didn't want to think about happening.

"Ruby!"

The scythe user shook her head once more, bringing the real word back into focus. Weiss was looking irritated, and with good reason. The car was there, and Dante was loaded into the back, with Nora assisting Ren in keeping pressure on the site of the injuries.

"Sorry, Weiss."

"Don't apologize! Just get in, you dolt!"

After a year of not hearing it, the sound of Weiss' usual insult to her was soothing. Calming. Shaking her head once more, the young Huntress got into the vehicle and closed the door.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm taking us all to my house."

"Your..."

"...house."

Ruby and Qrow both slightly paled at this. From what Ruby knew, Weiss didn't like it there, but it was probably the best course of action. As for Qrow, he had other reasons for not wanting to be there, but he was helping his niece out, so he was going to stick it out, for better or worse.

The vehicle sped through the streets, the driver not wasting time, having seen the man they loaded into the back. He knew that time was imperative. As they neared the front gates of the mansion, he slowed slightly to allow the large metal barricade to open, then sped through once the gap was wide enough.

A small team of medics met them at the front door, unloaded Dante onto a stretcher and took him inside, followed by Ren. The rest walked inside quickly, while Weiss and Ruby took some time, the younger girl being in awe at the size of the building.

"Ruby? You coming?"

"Yeah... Big house..."

"It is."

The heiress rubbed her arms, the sleeveless dress not doing anything to stop the cool breeze that was blowing. She stopped when she felt a weight on her shoulders. Looking down, she saw Ruby's cloak was there.

"Ruby..."

"It'll block the wind. I have sleeves, so I don't need it as much."

"Once we are inside, you can have it back. I... I can't keep this."

"Whatever you wanna do, Weiss."

The pair then began the walk back up to the house, entering and joining their friends in waiting in the foyer. They were all silent, which confused Weiss for a moment until a voice broke the silence.

"Weiss!"

She looked up to see her father, his commanding form standing in the door to his study, his white suit framing his silhouette, making him look like the various depictions of angels that were in fantasy stories. However, his voice gave him away to being a stern disciplinarian, all business with very little humor.

"Good evening, father."

"Do not feed me that, child." His retort to her attempt at smoothing things over causing the heiress to flinch. "Why is this rabble here."

He then noticed Qrow's presence.

"Especially him."

"These are former classmates of mine."

"Right. From that "school" you used to attend."

"And they saved my life tonight."

"I'm sure that they did. If you are lying, I can confirm this, you know."

"I am certain. You can call up Atlas Academy and ask for the log recordings for Cameras BA-221 and CL-224. Those covered the route I exited from."

"Fine. For now, you may all wait in the sitting room. I shall return with a decision on whether or not to evict you all from my home once I have seen the tapes."

He then turned and closed the doors to his study, which, while thick, weren't soundproof. They could hear his demand for the security footage from the cameras that Weiss mentioned.

"Follow me, please." Weiss' changed attitude was evident in her voice.

"Weiss..."

"He's... always been like that. Since mom..." the heiress trailed off.

"Weiss..."

"It's fine, Ruby. I just... I miss her. She was always able to cheer him up."

"Yeah. Sounds like what Taiyang went through," Qrow's statement was a knife. Weiss had never asked Ruby about her mother, and Yang had never spoken of it to her. She looked over at Ruby, whose own expression was suddenly depressed.

"Ruby... I..."

"Weiss, you didn't know. I... I wasn't old enough to really understand it when it happened."

They entered the sitting room, which was magnificently decorated in various tones of white and silver, with mahogany accents that were set with gold inlay. The ceiling was painted a stark white, which only served to make the room look larger than it was. Over the mantle of the fireplace on the back wall hung a painting that showed a man who liked like Weiss' father, but he was smiling. Standing next to him was a young girl with the same snow white hair, and a woman holding an infant was seated on the other side.

Of course, Weiss caught Ruby staring.

"That was made when I was still a baby. That is Winter up there... and... my..."

"Your mom?" Ruby completed the sentence, noticing the tears forming in Weiss' eyes. While the younger girl couldn't remember much of her mother, it was obvious that her former partner did.

"Weiss... I'm sorry... I didn't..."

"It's okay, Ruby. Oh!" Weiss reached up and removed Ruby's cloak, returning it to the younger girl. "I said I would give it back once we were inside."

"Thanks, Weiss. It looked good on you, though."

"Ruby... Let's just... take a seat."

Weiss offered a seat to everybody before sitting down next to Ruby.

As they sat in silence, the heiress looked over at her former partner. Either it was the lower light of the room, or the dancing shadows from the fireplace, but she couldn't stop staring at the girl. She would, of course, catch herself doing so, and then quickly look away.

Ren and Nora were both seated, with the orange haired girl leaning on the taller male, a contented look on her face that was only there when he was around. Everybody else saw it, but if Ren did, the taller human was oblivious to its effects.  
Jaune was sitting nervously with his thumbs going around fast enough to bore through solid granite, and Qrow was leaning on the far wall, which bore no decorations, occasionally sipping from his flask. He could see what was going on between his niece and the heiress, but he wasn't about to open his mouth and jeopardize it. If anything was needed between them, this chance to just be together, even if surrounded by friends, was it.

After about 30 minutes, the doors to the sitting room opened again, and Weiss' father entered, his face finally visible. He looked to be in either his late 40's or early 50's, with a white moustache that sat perfectly trimmed and cared for above his upper lip. The sharp lines of his three-piece suit matched to his chiseled face, his eyes dulled from the stresses of running a world wide corporation. 

He looked around the room and Jaune sat up straight, sweat all but pouring down his face. Weiss and Ruby looked over at him Nora snapped to attention as well, but still stayed close to Ren, who had remained, unflinching in the face of having to find lodging for the night.

"I have seen the tapes my daughter mentioned," he began, his voice set in a tone that gave off an air of negativity. "And I have decided that you all may stay. Her words were true. I apologize for my cold tone earlier."

Weiss perked up at these words.

"Thank you, father."

"Weiss, please. This is how it is. Your leader," he glared in Qrow's direction, "can explain everything in the morning."

"Hold on a moment," Qrow wasn't about to take the fall for something he wasn't behind. "I'm not the "leader" here. She is."

All eyes were now on Ruby, who shrank down in her seat.

"Very well, then. In the morning, we shall discuss things," the Fortune 500 CEO said as he turned and exited the room.


	7. Laying Low

"Good morning, sir. And thank you for last night."

Ruby was doing her best to follow the mannerisms Weiss had spent hours drilling into her the night before, but it would seem that her face was giving away how nervous she was.

"Please. Sit down. Let me introduce myself," Weiss' father said, one eyebrow higher than the other. "My name is Valkoinen Schnee. And you are?"

"Ruby Rose, sir."

"Ah. Yes. Ms. Rose. My daughter's partner from Beacon. Tell me: What brings you to Atlas?"

"Well... We were trying to get everybody in one place again to take back Beacon and the part of Vale that was lost."

"Noble. Foolish, but noble. And how did you plan to accomplish this?"

"Well... we have people already in Vale, so we were going to find the rest of our classmates and then head there to use it as a base of operations."

Valkoinen adjusted in his seat slightly, a finger running across his moustache.

"And you plan to lead this.... revolution with... 8 people?"

"I know it isn't a very good plan. Weiss always managed to improve on my plans at Beacon, and make them so that they would work, so I was hoping she would help."

"I see. You require aid. I shall consider it. For now, however, you all need to rest. Your friend is still unconscious, for medical reasons. Take some time to recover and train. We have a state of the art facility here for just that purpose. If you and my daughter can prove that you can work well enough together, I shall allow it. Otherwise, you should move on to your next location. That is all."

Ruby rose slowly and bowed her head.

"Thank you, sir."  
She then turned and left the room, her lack of cloak feeling odd, but Weiss had insisted that she let them clean it. She felt naked, but she would put up with it if it made her former partner happy. Which struck her as odd. She should have been over those feelings by now, shouldn't she? The only person she had ever told was he uncle, and he hadn't told anybody. If anyone else knew, it was through a glorious coincidence of guess work. After all, there was no way that the heiress could be thinking of her the same way.

Down on the main floor, Weiss was pacing. She had tried to drill the etiquette rules into the younger girl's head, but one night was probably not enough. She couldn't bear the thought of being told that she could never communicate with the younger girl again, but she wouldn't admit it. After all, Ruby wasn't interested in dating anybody. Not when she suddenly had the weight of the world on her shoulders.

And then there was the matter of the younger girl's older sister, Yang. If there was anything that could be said about the blonde woman, it was that she was fiercely protective of her sister, which made the heiress feel that she was unapproachable for that purpose.

She shook away the thoughts as Ruby came down the stairs.

"And?"

"He wants us to stay here and train for a while. He said something about if we could work well together, that he would help us, but there wasn't much after that."

Weiss was slightly shocked at hearing this. Somehow, Ruby had managed to sell her father on something.

"How did you?"

"I mentioned how you were actually behind our mission plans succeeding. Which, wasn't a lie," Ruby shifted nervously. "Weiss, you are way better than I am at planning missions. All I had planned was really just to launch an assault on Beacon, to take it back, and start teaching again. Maybe making Uncle Qrow the headmaster. I hadn't thought past getting everybody together again. I'm sorry about that and...."

She was cut off as the heiress, in, what anybody else would describe as a lapse in judgement, rushed up to her and hugged her.

"Weiss...?"

Ruby broke the contact, despite admitting to herself that she had longed for it.

"Ruby, you sold my father on something. Not many rookie Huntsmen or Huntresses could do that. I'm just... I'm so proud of you."

She took the younger girl by the hand, mentally reveling in being able to have this kind of contact, even if it never went beyond that.

"Where are we going?"

"Ruby, I'm going to show you the training room. You'll like it. I swear."

~Two days later~

Even after two days of almost never leaving the arena floor, Ruby was still in awe at the capabilities of the massive facility. She was enjoying having to dodge bullets and various other obstacles, as it got her back into the habit of using Crescent Rose as more than just a gun. And she was learning to appreciate Weiss' weapon and skills as well, when the heiress would run an obstacle course in a time rivaling her own.

Up in the control center, Qrow was watching the two train.

"Now if only they'd realize how they feel about each other."

He would continue to watch them day in and day out, all to see them improve, as he was delivering the sessions to them at night, and doing his former job from Signal, instructing them on their weaknesses, helping them to see where they had made a mistake.

Today was no different, except for the fact that Valkoinen was there, observing the two young women. When the booth phone rang, Qrow paused the simulation, much to the girls' displeasure.

"'Just give us a moment up here. Phone call.'"

He then nodded and answered the video call.

"Hello, father."

"Winter. It has been a while. Coming home any time soon?"

"I should be there in a bit. But first, what is he doing there?"

"Mr. Branwen is here with his niece and several survivors of the Battle of Beacon. I am considering funding an assault against the Grimm that have taken up residence there. They are proving that my intent to assist them is not misplaced."

"If Weiss' partner is there, then there is one more thing we will have to do. When I get back, I'll be needing Ms. Rose to help me design something."

"Something for the girl who lost her arm?"

Winter sat in silence. She wasn't aware of how much her father had been told, or if he had actually read Ironwood's reports. All the same, she was impressed.

"You know about that?"

"Of course. Mr. Branwen's niece is not unknown to me. She is your sister's friend as well. Speaking of things not unknown to me..."

He looked back at Qrow and then back to the screen.

"I know about you two. You thought you were being sneaky?"

Winter was flabbergasted at this.

"How did... When did... did he...."

"I ju... wha... when did.... how did... Did you..."

"I'll take your reactions to mean that you have no knowledge of how I know this. The CCT was Atlas' gift to the world, but it was developed as a partial way to track huntsmen and huntresses in the field. All scrolls are attached to it. It was not hard to tell where you two were going."

Both parties paled.

"Just keep it safe. I can't stop you, as neither of you live under my roof. All I ask is that neither of you be stupid."


	8. Jaune

In the cold, evening air, Jaune stood on the balcony overlooking the gardens of the Schnee Estate. Even though it had been over a year since the problems at Beacon, he still felt it. The blonde looked up into the cloudless sky, the broken moon of Remnant providing far more illumination than he wanted at that moment. The memories of all the times it had been obvious came flooding into his head.

He would drop his sword, and she would show him how to better grip the hilt, so it wouldn't happen again.

He would trip, and she would ask if he was alright.

He would tell a terrible joke, and she would laugh, no matter how bad it was.

All those late night sessions training on the roof.

With each memory, he hated himself more and more. He cursed his inability to wake up to the truth before it was too late. He must have screamed, because the footsteps behind him showed a sense of worry.

"Jaune?"

Ruby approached her friend, not wanting to startle him, but wanting to make sure he was okay.

"Not now."

"Jaune, are you okay?"

"I said not now!"

He turned around, his face set in rage, but his eyes giving away his pain far more than he wished to.

"Jaune... I..."

"Ruby, please. I just... I just want to be alone right now."

"If you say so..."

The younger girl turned and left, still concerned for the blonde, but not wanting to make a bigger mistake.

And the pattern continued for several days like that. Jaune would go out on the balcony, and Ruby would try to talk to him, only to be shunned.

"I just... I'm supposed to be a natural born leader. Why can't I help him?"

"Kiddo, you can't lead or help somebody who doesn't want to be led or helped."

Qrow was trying to help his confused niece through the difficulty she was having.

"Additionally, Ruby," Winter interjected, "he is in a tough spot right now. He doesn't feel that he is adequate as a leader or Huntsman."

"But..."

Tears were forming in the young Huntress's eyes, her wanting to help her friend out and being told that she couldn't hurting her more than she would like.

"Listen: You may not be able to help him, as you, personally, aren't feeling the same sense of loss. Sure. Your team was scattered to the four corners of the globe. But he lost someone he swore he would protect. Someone he is just now realizing he loved. So the pain is far worse than he would like to let on."

Winter put a hand on Qrow's shoulder after his statement.

"But, we can go talk to him. Provide some neutral council, perhaps."

The alcoholic sighed at this. "She's right. We'll go talk to him. Pancake child and Captain silence need their team leader back."

The older pair got up and left the room, just as Weiss was entering.

"What was that all about?"

All she could do was head over to where her partner, their friendship reforged, sat, and hold the younger girl while she cried, unable to bring much to the bundle of emotions.

Out on the balcony, Jaune was moping again, his thoughts always going back to her. Back to that solitary kiss. The only one they had ever shared. It haunted him. He looked up into the sky again, and punched the stone railing, the unyielding material sending pain shooting up his arm, which he ignored.

The more he thought about it, the more he had come to realize it: He had really been in love with Pyrrha Nikos. And he had never told her. He had always hidden his feelings behind his chasing after Weiss, not wanting to jeopardize their partnership or even their friendship by asking her to go on a date with him.

"I'm so sorry..."

As he fell to his knees, his hands gripping the railing, he began to cry. His tears shifted from sadness to anger as a second face popped into his head.

"I'll kill her," he muttered to no one in particular.

"Who will you be killing, exactly?"

"That woman from Haven. I'll kill her."

"What woman?"

"The one who was in the tournament. Her teammates hurt my friends, and she killed Pyrrha. I know it."

"Mr. Arc, revenge is not the solution here."

"And who told you what was, huh? Pyrrha is gone! She isn't going to come back! And now... And now..."

"Listen to Winter, kid. Revenge may make sense right now, but it consumes you. Kills you inside. Makes you rely on... other things to feel whole again."

"What would you know about wanting revenge?"

"Plenty. Listen. Jaune. When my sister left Yang with Tai as a baby, I was appalled. Here was my own sister, who had wanted to be a mother, abandoning her child. I wanted to take revenge for Yang that day. And then Tai stopped me. Said he'd need help. And then... Then Ruby's mom stepped in. Summer filled the emptiness in his heart. She helped him get through things.

Then... one day... she went on a mission and..."

Qrow's voice trailed off as he remembered that day. The day Ruby and Yang lost not one, but two mothers.

"And?"

"And she never came back. We searched. We really did. All we could find were a few pieces of her cloak, and some fragments of her weapon. Nothing more. It killed Taiyang inside. He changed. And I went on a search for revenge. I must have killed thousands of Grimm. All hoping that one of them was the one that killed her. And it killed me."

"Well... almost killed you."

The older human stepped forward, putting an arm around Winter's waist.

"True. She saved me. In a sense. She gave me a reason to not be hunting for revenge. Told me to go teach future generations. All so that our mistakes wouldn't be made again."

"And then you taught Ruby."

"You betcha. And Yang."

"She is a damn good fighter. Better than me..."

The older couple sensed the change in his voice and made the right move.

"From what Ruby tells me, you are a damn good tactician. You can analyze the terrain, as well as enemy attack patterns and make a snap decision that results in victory with very few losses. That is a rare skill."

"But what if I..."

"Kid, I'm not telling you to forget about her. Just not to become obsessed with avenging her."

"So... there are other ways?"

"You got it. Now, you might want to go talk to my niece. She is pretty worried about you.


	9. Hiding Out

Things were steadily getting better in terms of Jaune and Ruby's friendship, which had Weiss sitting slightly on the edge of her seat. When her former partner wasn't hanging out in the training room, or being absconded with by her older sister to assist with some project that Winter seemed keen on keeping the younger Schnee in the dark about, she was spending time talking with the scraggly blonde about the goings on in the world.

Every now and again, she would get a message from Oobleck or Port, and she'd get everybody together, with Jaune staying focused longer than the others, which, while being a nice change, meant that the heiress was now on the fence. In her head she continually tried to rationalize it. There was no way that Jaune could have feelings for Ruby... was there?

The uncertainty plagued her until the one day that she confronted him about it.

"What? Me? No offense, Weiss, but I..." he rubbed the back of his neck as he looked down at the floor. "... I'm not looking for a relationship of any kind outside of a friend. It just..."

He extended his hand and placed it on her shoulder. If it had been back at Beacon, she would have rebuffed the touch, telling him to take his hand off of her. If it had been any different and... Her eyes widened as she realized what she had done.

"Jaune... I... I..."

"Not your fault, Weiss. I just... I'm gonna go take a walk."

The blonde slowly turned and left, heading down the corridor, his footsteps echoing off the exposed wood base work. She exhaled heavily and she turned the other direction, heading back towards her room.

Upon her arrival, she sent Ruby a quick message on her scroll, letting her know to come to her room when she had a moment.

Down on the main floor, Winter, Ruby, and Qrow were having a discussion.

"I mean it, Qrow. You have to be the one to do this."

"Yeah... you're probably right. But I still don't think that..."

"Uncle Qrow?"

The older male looked down at his niece.

"Wassup?"

"Please. Go get Yang. But I need you to stop in Vale first."

"What for?"

"I'm with Qrow on this one, Ruby Rose. Why stop there first?"

"I need him to meet with someone who can help him out. Besides, I know for a fact that his favorite bar is near the port where he can catch a boat to Patch. And he..."

The young human's ranting was cut off as her scroll vibrated.

"Take it, kiddo. I'll make the delivery. On one condition," Qrow then turned to face the older of the Schnee sisters. "You keep my niece safe, you got that?"

Winter walked over to him, her face set with a mix of anger and respect.

"You got it."

She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "And you be safe, too, okay?"

Qrow smirked. "When am I not?"

Both returned their attention to Ruby.

"I'm heading out, kiddo. You stay safe, you hear me?"

"Will do, Uncle Qrow. Tell Yang I'm doing okay and we all say hi!"

The older scythe user nodded. "Send me the details of my contact. I'll meet up with them."

"Uncle Qrow, you already know who it is."

"If it is who I think it is, Yang won't be too happy."

"Trust me, I know her. Yang will want to talk to them."

Sighing, the older human turned and walked away, heading out of the door. As it shut, Ruby's determined position shrank a little.

"Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine. Weiss just wants to talk."

Winter smiled softly, which took Ruby slightly by surprise. "Well? Go on then."

"Are you sure?"

"My sister may be stubborn, but when she wants to talk, it is best to hear her out."

Nodding, the younger female headed towards the stairs, which she then took up to the second level, where Weiss' room was located.

"And please be honest with yourself. I know it took us too long."

Out in the garden, Nora and Ren were taking a walk. Which was more along the lines of Ren moving at a leisurely pace, while the shorter girl bounced along beside him, chatting his ear off.

"Nora?"

"Yes, Ren?"

"Can you, for just a moment, be a little quieter?"

"Uh-huh..." The orange-haired girl was slightly dejected at this.

Ren wasn't above noticing the change, and took the shorter human's hand in his.

"Ren?"

"Hmm?"

"Where... are we going?"

"To this spot Weiss mentioned. She thought you might like it."

"Oh."

The two continued walking until they reached the area Ren had been told about. And it was then that Nora saw it. Stretching out as far as the eye could see was a vast field, the flowers fighting against the snow that seemed to be trying to creep down from the mountains into the mansion grounds. Her jaw fell open as she took it all in.

"Its...."

"Nora?"

"Its..."

"Nora?"

"Its..."

Fearing that he had broken his partner, the marital artist did something extremely out of character for him. He whipped around in front of the shorter woman and kissed her.

"Meep."

"You okay now?" he asked, backing away from the stunned Queen of the Banhammer.

"Did you just... kiss me?"

"Yes I did."

Nora looked at the ground for a moment, trying to hide her face from him. She hadn't expected this reaction out of him, much less when she wasn't sure if he actually felt anything towards her.

"How long?"

"Uh... what?"

"How long, Ren? How long have you wanted to do that?"

"Been thinking about it for a while now. Why?"

"WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG!?" She shouted, jumping at him, causing them to fall into the field, where they stayed for a few hours.

Back in the mansion, Ruby had arrived at Weiss' room, and had raised her hand to knock.

"It's open. You can just come in."

"Weiss? Are you... okay?" Ruby asked as she slowly entered the room.

The heiress perked up slightly at the inquiry, then went back to her mopey position.

"I don't know. I may have hurt Jaune... All by asking... by asking..."

"By asking what?"

"I asked him how he felt about you."

Ruby took a moment to process the information in her head, not wanting to screw up in any way, before walking across the room.

"Weiss, you and I both know that I don't see him that way."

"Still... You just..."

"We have a lot to talk about. Can... I sit down?"

"Sure." The heiress patted the bed next to her. "Please?"

The younger girl sat down, right where her former partner had indicated, feeling that there was a reason for it.

"So, you see," she started, "After the whole thing with Cinder, I told Jaune...."

"That's just it, Ruby. You couldn't have told him."

"How?"

"Ruby... after you... when you went up the tower... you were found unconscious by your uncle."

~~Roughly one year earlier~~

"Jaune..."

Nora reached out her hand towards her friend, the blonde being slumped on the ground.

"Kid, I'm sorry..."

The blonde male shook his head and brought his hand up to his head, wiping away the tears from his blue eyes. He then looked up at Qrow, his expression still full of pain and loss.

"It... It's not your fault. It's mine."

"Jaune..."

"No, Nora. I... I wasn't strong enough. I should have stopped her! Don't you get that!?"

"Jaune," Ren interjected, stepping between the two teens, "Qrow is only here to help. Ruby did what she could, and so did you. Pyrrha... she..."

"Ren, I know. I just..."

The blonde was silenced when Nora, who had managed to zip around Ren, pulled him into a hug.

"We all miss her."

"That's just it, Nora. She... And I... Oh god I was so stupid!!!"

"Come on, Jaune. Let's get you out of here."

The trio then headed off to the safe zone, where airships were waiting to take the survivors to where they needed to go.

~~Present Day~~

"And that's what happened."

"Then why did he... push me away before?"

"I wish I knew. And then I made him go back... All by asking one stupid question. Ruby I... I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what, Weiss?"

"I can't tell you right now, but I... Give me some time, okay?"

Ruby looked over at the heiress, and saw tears starting to from in her eyes. So she took the one action she remembered Yang taking when she had been sad as a child: She pulled the younger Schnee sister towards her and held on to her.

As she did this, her mind started to wander again. Had Weiss always been this insecure? When did she start crying? And was she... alseep?

Sure enough, when the younger girl looked down, there was her friend, her partner, asleep, clutching onto Ruby's arm in much the same fashion as an infant would clutch their parent's limb.

"Weiss, I need to stand up."

"Stay... here... please?"

Obliging, Ruby scooted them both onto the bed and just stayed by her. Outside of the door, Winter was smiling slightly. It wasn't exactly how she thought that Weiss would start to open up, but it was still just that: A start.


	10. Return to Patch

"Why would she want me to stop off here? Makes no sense."

Qrow was sitting in his usual bar by the bay, nursing his drink. He had promised his younger niece that he wouldn't drink too much. But he was going to have a couple, as long as he was there. Besides, he knew the bartender, and they had a running game going before he would sit and drink: If he could beat him in a simple board game, his drinks were on the house. Of course, Qrow would always let the bartender talk him into paying at least part of the bill at the end of things, as he knew that the bar wouldn't stay afloat long without some cash flow.

"Waiting for somebody?"

"Yeah. Don't know who they are, or how they will find me. But I'm waiting for them here."

"Ruby told me you would be here, you know."

"Oh really? And just who are... you!"

Qrow's voice went from amused to annoyed in a matter of moments, as he turned to face the source of the conversation. Standing in front of him was a female Faunus, her yellow eyes standing out from her pale skin, which was a sharp contrast from her thick, raven hair, and matching black and white top and shorts, with black shoes over a pair of stockings that faded from black to purple.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"You are part of the reason she is so damn depressed! She needed you and you abandoned her!"

"I went back for a reason!"

Qrow was losing his patience with the young Faunus.

"And what, pray tell, was that, huh? You go back to apologize to those people from...."

"NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS! I told both of them that I am no longer part of the White Fang, and I will never go back."

"Then why even bother going back?"

"I... I had to get something."

"And what was that?"

"I... I'd rather give it to Yang."

The scythe-master retuned his attention to his glass, his mood set in the negative.

"Same thing here. I have to talk to her as well, but I think that your conversation is more important. She needs to hear from you."

"Why me?"

"Listen: She's in a real rut. Taiya... her dad says she doesn't eat regularly any more. And when she does, it is only small portions of what he gives her. We... we're all worried about her, with him more than the rest of us."

"Then we need to head back to her."

The Faunus reached down and picked up her bag, the contents shifting slightly as the military shoulder duffel was slung over her shoulder. As she turned, Qrow noticed a change to her back.

"That new?"

"Yeah. My old one was beyond repair in the rubble. The general helped me make this."

The older hunter rubbed his chin. "So Jimmy does still care."

"Jimmy?"

"Inside thing. We knew him long ago. Before he was... well.. you know." Qrow wiggled his arm and leg, mimicking the testing for cybernetic prosthetics.

"Ah. Let's... Let's go."

Qrow downed the last of the alcohol in his glass and reached into his pocket to grab some Lien.

"Oh no. Not today. You go to your niece. She needs you more than I need money right now."

Qrow nodded and removed his hand from his pocket, dropping a 100 Lien card on the bar, anyway.

"But I said..."

"Take it. You keep letting me come back in here. Consider it my part of the deal."

The teacher then turned and left the establishment, leaving a confused bartender to wipe out some more glasses. As he turned, he knocked an empty vessel from the counter top to the floor, where it shattered. As he looked down at the shattered glass, he uttered a single phrase.

"Oh, gee... darn."

Back in Patch, Taiyang was sitting in a chair, watching the window, alert to any movement. He didn't want to miss any instance of his older daughter wanting to talk, or even get up and walk a little. To his surprise, Qrow showed up on their doorstep, followed by a young Faunus clad in black and white.

He got up and headed to the door, opening it and heading out, his face set in anger.

"How dare you! How dare you show up here!"

"Tai..."

"No, Qrow. Don't even start with me!"

"Tai!"

The blonde fighter threw himself at Qrow, trying to get past him. Not wanting a confrontation, the scythe user stepped aside, allowing his former team mate to pass. He rocketed towards the Faunus, his fist raised.

"DAD! NO!"

The cry stopped him in his tracks. He turned, his face softening, to see his older daughter, still weak, using her left arm to hold herself up in the doorway, the stump where her right had been amputated during the Battle of Beacon hanging limply at her side, her face thinner than it had been on that day, a side effect of her not eating. She smiled weakly, and looked past him at the Faunus.

"Heya, Blake. Wanna tell me why you ran?"

"Sure. But can it be inside?"

Yang pushed off the frame, and motioned in that brief instant, before losing her balance and falling forward. As the trio rushed forward, it was Blake who arrived first, catching her former partner, preventing further injury. As she pulled her closer, she could tell the other effects of Yang's depression, her body seeming far more frail than she remembered.

"Yang..."

"Yeah... I know. You're gonna tell me I need to eat."

"Well... that... and... I have something for you. Something I found."

Yang perked up slightly at this.

"Something you found? Was it that monster's head?"

Blake smiled, seeing the fire momentarily return to the blonde brawler's eyes.

"No. But it is still something that you'd like, none-the-less. I'll give it to you inside."

Nodding in agreement, the blonde tried to stand, only to be held back by the raven-haired Faunus.

"No, Yang. I'm going to help you."

Not having the strength to fight, Yang relinquished control to Blake, who cradled her and stood, carrying the teen back into the house. Outside, Taiyang and Qrow were standing there, jaws slightly agape.

"Are they....?"

"Not a clue, Tai. But she did say she would eat. Let's go make her some food," and he faced his friend, "But no more sandwiches. I know the extent of your cooking prowess."

They then followed the younger pair into the house, closing the door.

~Several weeks later~

Yang was looking better and better, as just Blake's presence seemed to give her renewed confidence and hope. And there was the promise of what Qrow had brought her. It was more than she had ever hoped to have happen.

"So... How's Ruby?"

"Yang, she is in Atlas right now."

"Oh. Yeah. Is she...."

"Mad at you for what you said almost a year ago?"

The blonde woman nodded.

"Not that I can tell. If she is, she is hiding it marvelously. She and Weiss seem to be getting along better as well."

"So are they finally... you know."

Blake shook her head. "No clue there."

"You up for a walk?"

The blonde propped herself up, using her good arm to scoot up further before the sheets gave way and she fell back, slamming her head against the wall.

"Yang!"

"Ow... damn wall... damn useless stump..."

"Yang?"

"I'll be fine. I just..."

The blonde lifted the arm again, remembering for the first time in months that she was missing it. Immediately, her face went towards the floor.

"Blake... I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"But... Because of me..."

"No."

"But..."

"I said 'no', Yang. It isn't your fault," Blake said, looking at the floor before bringing her left hand up to raise Yang's chin, bringing them into eye contact. "Its Adam's fault. It is the White Fang's fault. This," she continued, lifting her shirt slightly, showing a scar on her abdomen, "is not your fault. I made a choice."

"But Blake...."

"No buts, Yang. And this," she said, placing a hand on Yang's stunted arm, "this is my fault. I rushed in. You did what you felt was right to protect me after Adam stabbed me. I can't fault you for that. I should thank you. You got this saving me. So I'm the one who should be sorry, not you."

"Blake... I... ufh"

The blonde was cut off as she was pulled into a hug by the Faunus. She smiled slightly, and then went wide eyed.

"Just kiss already, geeze."

"UNCLE QROW! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

While leaning on Blake, Yang reached back and grabbed her pillow, chucking it as hard as she could at her uncle, who dodged it easily. The improvised weapon flew into the hallway, where it hit the wall with a thud.

"Easy, kiddo. I was joking."

"So..."

"So, about that thing I need to tell you: It's part of the reason why we needed to make sure you were completely healthy. Can't have you being sick for it and all."

"What are you talking about?"

"It goes hand in hand with what she has."

Yang looked at her uncle and Faunus companion with confusion plastered on her face.

"Yang, please don't be upset when you see it, okay? I couldn't exactly make it perfect."

"Blake, whatever it is, let me see!"

Nodding, the Faunus reached into her bag and produced a thin box. She proceeded to place it on the bed, pushing it towards Yang.

"Go ahead."

The blonde opened it up, to reveal the missing half of her weapon, but this one looked nothing like the one she had on her left. It was twisted, crushed, and mangled, the feed line for ammunition being warped beyond usability, and the barrel fused shut at the muzzle. There was no way that the paired weapon could ever work again.

"What... happened?"

"When I ran, it was two-fold. One was to get away from Weiss' father. The other was to see if I could retrieve our things. Mine was damaged in much the same way. I'm sorry, Yang."

The blonde looked slightly depressed at this.

"It's fine. Not like I can use it anyway," she said, raising what was left of her arm.

"About that," Qrow said. "You only need to hold out until we get to Atlas."

"Why are we going to Atlas?"

"Ruby and Winter have made something that you are going to like. I'm sure of it," he said, producing a disc from his pocket.

Out in the hall, Tiayang smiled and wiped a tear away. He had gotten used to Yang being home again, and now she was going to be leaving.

"But we don't leave until you can walk."

Qrow's amendment made him smile a little. He would have some more time to spend with his daughter. He turned and entered the room.

"Looks like you are going to be here a little longer. But, let's get you back on your feet."

Outside of the window, the leaves were falling from the trees, and a solitary, black bird rapped on the window with its beak, then flew off. Looking out from the glass, Both girls could tell it had been one year since that week that things had changed. And they were determined to change things again.


	11. Yang 1.5

The days passed. They turned to weeks. The weeks to months. All the while, Yang was getting stronger and more confident. She had stopped wearing her pajamas every day, on the condition that Blake helped her get dressed in her usual attire. Both Taiyang and Qrow were alright with this, as the Faunus' presence seemed to help with the blonde woman's spirits.

She was still learning to adapt her fighting to use her legs more, which was throwing her off, given the missing appendage, but Blake wasn't about to give up on her. After about two months of this, Qrow made the judgement call.

"We leave in the morning."

"So soon, Qrow?"

"Tai, we need to get into Atlas before any snowstorms. Even by airship, this is not going to be a fast trip."

"Professor Branwen...," Blake started before being corrected.

"We're equals as far as I care. You can call me Qrow. Or Uncle Qrow. Your choice."

His quick amendment was in response to the Faunus' shocked expression.

"Fine. Qrow, we aren't anywhere near ready!"

"Tough luck, missy. They're here to collect us."

He pointed off down the path, towards a pair of very familiar silhouettes. As they drew closer, colors came into focus, followed by identities.

"Oh! Hey! You're up again! Good. Want me to break some legs for you?"

"Nora," Ren said, stopping the violence from escalating, "she'll be breaking legs again in no time."

"Awww... But shrph mrphgrph!"

Ren shot a glare in his girlfriend's direction as he covered her mouth with his hands, before pulling them away.

"Nora!"

The orange haired woman stood there, rocking back and forth, a huge smile on her face.

"Yes, Ren?"

"You LICKED me."

"So? You put your hands there!"

Yang had to interrupt, as she couldn't stand it any more.

"So... Are you two... together yet?"

"TOGETHER TOGETHER!!!!"

Ren sighed slightly, finishing wiping his hands off. "Yeah. We started a few days after arriving in Atlas. Back on track, though. How are you, Yang?"

"Doing better, now that my partner is back."

Blake smiled slightly at hearing the words partner. She had longed to hear those words again, and, if she was honest with herself, was mentally thrilled to hear them pass Yang's lips.

"And mine will be back at 100% soon enough."

"Hey! I AM at 100%."

"Fine, then, kiddo. You'll be at 110% once we reach Atlas. Now, we need to get moving before night falls. Don't want to lose the good weather."

"He's right. There was talk of it being a long, cold winter in Atlas where we're staying."

Yang looked at the martial artist like he was acting strange, and got even more confused when Nora spoke up.

"Yup! You'll love it, Yang!"

The blonde woman turned to her uncle, who merely moved his head from side to side.

"But I wanna know!"

"You'll see when we get there, kiddo," the scythe user slurred slightly.

"Are you... drunk?"

"First thing's first: Yes. Second thing: I'm always drunk. That's my..."

"Qrow, it is no big secret," Taiyang interrupted, earning a glare from the alcoholic. He then turned to his daughter. "Can I at least get a hug before you go?"

"Sure, dad. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too, Yang."

The blonde man then pulled Blake over and into a hug, shocking the ninja.

"What...?"

"Thank you. You got her to snap out of whatever funk she was in. It means the world to me. Feel free to come by if you need a place to stay. We have the room."

He then released the Faunus from the embrace and smiled, a gesture she willingly returned. She then turned and walked over by Yang.

"Ready to go?"

"You bet, Blake. Let's do this!" Yang punched the air above her with her good hand, momentarily starting to lose her balance, before catching herself. She looked around at the worried faces before smiling and questioning. "What? I didn't fall this time!"

"This..."

"...time?"

Ren and Nora completing each others' sentences was cute before, but now it was even worse, and both taller women had to fight back the urge to say something about it, with Blake recovering faster and telling them about the training as the quartet walked off to the airship.

"You gonna be okay here by yourself, Tai?"

"Qrow. Come on. Its me."

"Last time, you let the place get messier than my drinking habit."

"That was one time, Qrow. One time. Still..."

"I know. I'll keep an eye on her. Make sure she calls when we safely reach Atlas."

"Thanks."

"No prob. Besides, if there was one thing my sister did that I can agree with, it was leaving Yang with you. She is the best thing Raven even made."

"Hey! I had a part in that, too."

"I know. And I try not to think about it. Gotta go. Need to catch up with them before they get too far ahead. You take care of yourself as well."

Taiyang nodded at his former team mate, who then turned and jogged off towards where he knew that Ren and Nora had to have landed, before jumping up and taking on his bird appearance.

"No matter how many times I see that, I will never get used to it."

At the airship, Nora was getting impatient.

"Where is that old man?"

"Nora," Ren chided, "he'll be here. He always..."

"Sorry for the delay. You four ready?"

Qrow's sudden appearance slightly startled the four teens.

"How do you always do that!?"

"I'll tell you when you're older, kiddo. Now, let's get back to Atlas."

As they flew, Yang noticed that the seats were incredibly comfortable for a commercial airship, and started to question what was going on, until Qrow stood up and headed to the back, where she saw it. It had been staring her in the face the whole time, and she hadn't thought to put two and two together. There, on the back bulkhead of the fully furnished interior, was the Schnee family crest, laid with silver into the dark stained wood.

"Uncle Qrow?"

"Hmm?"

"How did you get this, exactly?"

"You'll see."

Yang returned to her seat and just kinda lazily looked out of the window, watching the clouds pass, before the airship descended, the pilot not wanting to be up so high when traveling past Vale. They would rise into the air again as they left the airspace, as to not attract too much attention, and as their flight itinerary had been approved by Ironwood only after they had agreed to the altitude maneuver.

Within a few hours they were over Atlas, and the craft veered right, away from the academy, heading towards the Schnee Estate, but Yang didn't notice, and neither did Blake, the pair having both fallen asleep just outside of Vale.

"Should we wake them up?"

Qrow turned to Nora and responded to the unusually calm question from her.

"Let 'em sleep. We are technically smuggling Blake into here."

"Good point."

Once the airship had touched down, Qrow woke both sleeping teens up, only for Blake to drop to the floor as the figure of Valkoinen Schnee strutted across to meet them. 

She turned towards Qrow and hissed. "Why didn't you say you were hiding HERE!?"

"He isn't all that bad, actually. Just stay calm, I'll handle this."

"Mr. Schnee, we have returned, with the airship in prime condition."

"That you have, Qrow. That you have. Now, where are my daughter's other team members?"

"On board still. Give them a moment."

"Very well."

It was then that Yang stepped off and onto the landing pad, followed closely by Blake, who was immediately called out by the businessman.

"Blake Belladonna, correct?"

"Ye... Yessir?" the Faunus said, shrinking back slightly behind Yang.

"I understand that you are a Faunus."

She shrank more at hearing this.

"However, based on what my daughters tell me, you are quite capable as a Huntress, and have done your part to help against the White Fang, despite your history. Please, come inside, Weiss is waiting for you."  
A rather confused Blake stepped out somewhat sheepishly from her hiding spot.

"If it is alright with you, sir, I wish to head in with... with my partner."

"And she is very polite, just like that young man over there! Not sure how he survives that whirlwind, though," he shuddered, motioning in the direction of Ren and Nora.

"They have known each other for a long time."

"Please, then, excuse me. I have business to attend to," Valkoinen stated abruptly as Ironwood's form was seen in the distance. 

He then turned and headed off to where the general stood, leaving Blake slightly stunned, Yang more than a little confused, and Qrow scratching his head.

"How did..."

"...he know..."

"...that I'm a Faunus?"

The trio's shocked responses were cut short when a familiar flash of red zipped across the courtyard towards them, followed by Weiss, who was looking more happy than they had seen her in a while.

"Blake! Yang! Hi."

Ruby's mannerisms put both women at ease, and their fears were eased even further when the Heiress walked over to Blake and confessed everything.

"He had to know before he found out. Leaving out details is a HUGE way to make him mad. Sorry."

"It's no problem. I understand why you did it, I just wish you had tried to ask me, first."

"I... I couldn't. You weren't exactly answering your scroll."

Blake nodded sheepishly and made her own admission. "It broke shortly before Qrow got to Vale again."

"So, right after I called you about that bar?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

Weiss then turned her attention to Yang.

"Let's get you inside. It's going to be a long day for you. Hope you're up for it," she said, noticing the blonde's slightly weaker grip. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Look, there isn't much I can't handle. I'm back to as good as I'm gonna be right now. Let's get this all over with."

Weiss and Ruby looked at Blake.

"She's not lying. We can't work on that second part until we do what needs to be done." 

The four girls headed inside, while Ren and Nora went off to spend some more time in the garden, leaving Qrow on the landing pad alone, where he cautiously walked over to a bench and sat down, leaning back, only to feel his head hit something soft.

"Didn't want to follow your father out?"

"Couldn't. Was helping set things up in the surgery."

"Right. Gotcha. They hurt her more, they will get a world of pain as a gift, you know that, right?"

"Qrow Branwen. Do you dare to mock our physicians and surgeons?"

"Oh no," he chuckled, "I would never mock anything from the Schnees. That would be hazardous to my health."

He then changed his tone as he looked back at her.

"Missed you, you know that?"

"Oh really? You missed me? It's only been.. what? A couple weeks?"

"I left in July. It's November."

"Oh. Wow. Ruby has been keeping me busy. Just as quickly as I can fix the training robots, she and Weiss adapt and take them out. Is there no end to your family's strength?"

Qrow merely shrugged and leaned in to rest his head on the specialist's shoulder.

"Not that I know of. I just worry about them, you know? Just kids, and they are already dealing with this."

Winter's tone softened as she stood, causing the drunk to lean forward. "They made their decision. I wouldn't worry about it. Ruby has this under control. She made something that the finest engineers in Atlas would be jealous of. Both your nieces are incredibly talented. And you," she said, offering a hand, "need to come with me. You look exhausted."


	12. Reasons

"Ruby, I know you're worried. But she'll be fine."

Weiss was trying to calm a nervous 16 year old, and it wasn't going so well. Ruby was still pacing around the waiting room. It looked as though she would dig through the floor with how furiously she was pacing. And it seemed as though nothing would calm her down.

"Ruby," Blake started, but stopped when Dante entered the room.

He limped confidently across to Ruby, and placed a hand on her shoulder startling her slightly.

"GYAH!"

"Sorry about that, Ms. Rose."

She turned her head to look in his direction, her body finishing the movement her head couldn't.

"When did you...?"

"Wake up? A little over a week ago. And, as you can tell, they don't want to let me anywhere near my weapon."

"Well, of course not, you massive boob! What kind of doctors would they be if they let somebody who has been unconscious since July just go and fight?"

The older huntsman shot Weiss a look that said "you call me that again, and you will die," but he smiled, which amended the statement with a "just kidding". He then returned his attention to Ruby.

"Look. I... wasn't exactly forthcoming with you on how the falling out went after Beacon was..." He looked around the room, and noticed that all eyes were on him. "After Beacon was destroyed."

"Whadda you mean?"

"I mean I have things to tell you. And now is better than never."

The brunette swordsman moved to his left until he reached a row of chairs, where he grabbed onto the arm of one and sat down. He then began to tell the rest of the story.

~One Year Ago~

"No way. No way I'm joining in this."

Dante was madder than he usually would be. Of course, he felt that there was reason to be. But the person he was arguing with was one Ozpin would expect, but not anybody else.

She stood around 5'9", with blonde hair that was kept trimmed to near military regulations. She wore a pair of dark green pants, with black pouches on belts hanging on her thighs, with black combat boots, a lighter green top, and a black jacket with her symbol on the back.

Normally, he wouldn't pick a fight with her, but she had made him a suggestion that he didn't agree with. He enjoyed his freedom too much.

"Dante, I'm not saying that you have to be in the military! Why won't you just see that!?"

"Oh, yeah!? Really, Caos? Really? Tell that to General Robodaddy over there. You seem to worship him now."

"Take. That. Back."

"Whatever. I told you where I stand on this. I'm not joining any military actions."

"Dante! I'm not saying for you to do that!"

"No. You're outright telling me to! Look. Your authority to give me commands as a leader ended at graduation!"

"Dante!"

"No, Caos. No."

"Dante, if I can't order you as a leader, can I request as a friend?"

"No damn way. As far as I see it, you are still obsessed with the military. I'm out of here."

He turned and walked away from her, still mad, but a pained expression on his face.

"Caos..."

"Lapis, I... This was a bad idea, us coming here."  
The female Faunus looked in Dante's direction. "He still blames himself?"

Caos looked at the ground, her eyes obscured slightly by her ever present sunglasses.

"Yeah. I think... I think we all do. He just..."

Lapis put her hand on Caos' shoulder. "Want me to go after him?"

The blonde woman shook her head.

"No. To an extent, he's not wrong. I am still in the mindset that we need to have a fully planned assault on the school. You know," she said, raising her head to meet her friend's gaze, "to take it back. He was happy there. And now he...."

The swordfighter looked off in the direction of Beacon, the smoke from countless fires still visible. As she did, the rain started to fall, the cold water painting everything in darker tones, the clouds covering the moon, making it much darker than it normally would be.

~~Present Day~~

"But... how would you know what they were talking about?" Weiss' inquiry was not without merit. Dante had stated that he had left before Caos could say anything further.

"That one is easy enough to answer," the teacher turned arena fighter said, "Lapis told me about it in several messages. I have them all on my scroll, and would show you, if they would let me have it back again."

"They?"

"The nurses, Ruby. The nurses."

"Oh."

"So, Professor," Blake said, the sound of the title making Dante smile again a little, "After the argument, what happened?"

"Well...."

~~One Year Ago~~

He wandered into the town, his face a mess, his hair dirty and unkempt. His feet were killing him, having been on the move across the countryside. Still, he kept his composure as he wandered into the bar, looking for work. Nobody knew who he was, but that didn't matter to him. His biggest accessory gave him away.

"Looking for work, Mister... uh..."

"Dante. Dante Volcanus," he said, his voice quieter than it would normally be, his mind tired.

"Right. Look. We don't have any Grimm issues here in Atlas, but there is one place you could work."

"I'll take it. Don't care what it is."

The bartender reached under the counter and slid a business card with an address on it to him.

"Go there. Tonight. Around 10PM. You'll know everything then."

~~Present Day~~

"So you basically just wandered around, killing Grimm, until you got to Atlas? Real smart, moron."

"I don't see you making any better moves there, Qrow."

"Fair enough," the scythe user said, prior to being led off by Weiss' sister, who had been, somehow, convinced to stop by the open door by her on-again, off-again, love interest. As they walked away, she looked at him.

"Do you always feel the need to antagonize people?"

"Nah. But him? Him I enjoy messing with."

"Why?"

"Because he's like me."

Back in the room, everybody had fallen silent. There were no spoken words after Dante's story. Everybody just sat there, until Ruby, slightly bored and antsy, made eye contact with Weiss, and made a subtle motion to leave.

"Where are you two going?"

"For a walk, Blake. You're welcome to join us, if you'd like.

The Faunus considered the Heiress' invitation, but shook her head, and politely turned it down. "I ran then, I'm going to be here when she comes out."

Weiss smiled at her friend, and followed Ruby out of the door. They got into the hallway, where Ruby leaned into Weiss, her head resting on the older girl's shoulder, her eyes tired.

"Ruby, have you been sleeping at all?"

"Not really, Weiss. I'm just..." the young leader yawned, "I'm worried about everything. What if my plan fails? What if this goes exactly like it did a year ago, and more people die because of my stupid idea? What if I..."

The fencer stepped away and turned to face her partner, her face concerned.

"Ruby, it won't. We have had a year. And you made so many modifications to Crescent Rose, helped me with my weapon, and even designed Yang's new arm. You'll be fine. You are exactly who we need leading this. Let's get you up to bed, okay?"

"But, Weiss..."

"No buts, Ruby. As your friend and partner, I am telling you to take care of yourself and get some sleep."

Begrudgingly, the younger of the pair allowed herself to be led up to her room, where Weiss tucked her into the bed, and then did the unexpected: She climbed in next to her, and placed her arm around her.

"W-Weiss?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"You stayed with me, I am returning the favor," the heiress said, moving closer to her partner. "So, please. Just let me help you."

Within moments, they were both asleep, neither one noticing the older family members standing outside the door.

"Should we wake her up?"

"Nah. Just let them be."

"But if my father finds out."

"He will find out one way or another. He knew about us, remember?"

"True. But I don't want them to be separated like that."  
"Then let them have their moment a little while longer. They both need this right now, so who are we to intervene?"

"True. They need allies right now. Qrow?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did it take us so long?"

"Because we had adult things to worry about. You had joined the Specialists, and me... I was helping Taiyang and Summer... with Yang... And then..."

Qrow's voice trailed off as the memories of all of it came back to him. Many of them pleasant, like playing with Yang and Ruby when they were younger, or sitting down to family dinners, and then the sad ones hit. The memories of Taiyang almost completely shutting down when he heard about Summer. His own fear at stopping by their house to see that Yang and Ruby were gone, along with the old photo of their team. The fact that he could have prevented his sister from leaving when Yang was a baby, or that he should have gone on that last mission with Summer. All at once.

"Let's just... let's go somewhere else for right now, okay?"

"Of course."


End file.
